QUÉBEC — The Quebec government says it wants every Quebecer to have access to a health professional by the summer of 2026 — just before the next provincial election.

Health Minister Christian Dubé made the announcement in Quebec City on Thursday, as part of his effort to improve Quebecers’ access to health care.

Quebec Premier François Legault campaigned in 2018 on a promise that all Quebecers would have access to a family doctor, but the government later conceded that wouldn’t be possible and is now focused on access to a broader range of health professionals, such as nurse practitioners.

The proportion of Quebecers with access to a family doctor dropped from 82 per cent in 2019 to 73 per cent in 2023, according to the province’s statistics agency.

Dubé says improving Quebec’s health-care system has proved to be harder than he thought it would be when he took on the file in 2020.

The minister announced Sunday that he plans to table legislation that would require new doctors trained in Quebec to practise in the province’s public system for a certain number of years after graduation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press